FAQ's

Q. How do I care for my new floors?

To maintain your home’s new floors, there are several things to consider:

Hardwood: Keep floors free of dirt and debris that can scratch some finishes. Pet nails should be kept clipped and shoe heels kept in good repair. Do not wash newly finished or recoated hardwood for at least 10 days . With most finishes, you should avoid products with wax or soap in them (i.e. Murphy’s Oil Soap). Wet-mopping is discouraged, and we suggest using as little water as possible when mopping.

Carpeting: Carpets should be vacuumed as often as need be to keep them free of dirt and debris. We also encourage the use of hot water extraction carpet cleaners once a year. Some carpets require maintenance schedules to keep warranties.

LVT & Vinyl: Maybe the easiest floor to maintain, vinyl will look great for a long time if kept swept and clean. You can wet-mop with many products, however, we discourage waxy or oily cleaners

Laminate: As with other products, you should not use cleaners with wax or soap in them. Wet-mopping is discouraged, and we suggest using as little water as possible when mopping. Keeping the floor free of dirt and debris will also help with the life of the floor.

Ceramic: Tiles should be swept and cleaned regularly. Please avoid using bleaches around grout lines. You may wet-mop, but do not use waxy or oily products.

Q. What should I expect during my project?

Every project will be different, but typically the schedule will follow these steps. Please keep in mind that not all projects begin at the same point or include all options shown here…

Q. What are the important things to know about my sanding and staining project?

Whether we are refinishing old or installing new job finish floors, we will be sanding the floors. Once we have a clean slate, we will show you the stain colors directly on your floor. Our technicians are expert color mixers and will work with you to find the color you want. Your color choice will be recorded, and we will stain the entire floor. We typically use an oil based stain and sometimes the odor is off-putting to our customers. Please be aware of this if you are at all sensitive to strong smells. Generally, we use water-based finishes so you should not have this problem after we have completed the staining process. Most of our stains and finishes need at least 4 - 6 hours to dry before you can walk on them in stocking feet. Before walking, test that the stain or finish is in no way wet or tacky to the touch. If there are any doubts, we always err on the side of caution… if you don’t have to walk on the floors – don’t.

Q. What about my baseboards?

Baseboards should be something you have spoken with your sales rep about. With the exception of carpet and some vinyl installs, existing baseboards may need to be removed. While we use extreme caution, sometimes this removal will break or nick your baseboards. If we are providing you with new, paint grade baseboards, we do not paint them, but will gladly drop them off before installing to allow you time to paint. If you have purchased baseboards that we are staining for you, we will stain and install them according to the schedule for your project. If you have opted to leave your baseboards on, please be advised that the equipment will nick and the stains will bleed, which will affect the overall look of your project. Touch-up painting, the responsibility of the homeowner, will be required in most cases. If the baseboards are being repainted, let us know so that we can properly schedule any other required trims after the painting.

Q. What is the drying time for my new ceramic floors?

New ceramic floors should not be walked on for at least 6 hours. This allows the adhesives time to dry. Grout will typically dry in about 5 hours.

Q. What are my responsibilities as the customer?

Customer satisfaction is extremely important to everyone at Champion Floor Company. We strive to be sure that we do everything we can to make our customers’ project go as smoothly as possible. However, there are some aspects of the process that we cannot control, and we ask that our customers do a few things that will greatly improve the final outcome and help keep the job running on schedule.

All our sanding equipment runs on 220 electrical power. Our technicians will need access to this type of outlet, typically an electric stove or dryer outlet (in some cases we will need to hook directly into your electrical panel, this is completely safe and our techs are trained to know how to do this).

It is best to remove fine breakables off the walls and away from the work area. While we take extra care in your home, accidents can happen.

We kindly ask that pets and children are removed from the project area. Their safety and the safety of our crews are of utmost importance. This will be a construction site, possibly with sharp objects, loose flooring, etc. Also, when we are pulling finishes, pet hair can interfere with the quality of the finish. When staining floors, the stain odor may irritate their senses.

When we are installing hardwood and some laminates or vinyls we will deliver the product several days before we begin working. This gives the flooring time to acclimate to your home’s humidity and temperature and will help to ensure better installation. Please do not turn off the heat or AC in your home. We cannot leave these items in a garage or sunroom, they must be inside the house.

After we leave, you will probably be in a hurry to get your home put back together. However, we ask that you wait 10 – 14 days before laying area rugs on newly finished hardwood floors. If you upgraded to RADCOAT Instant UV Finish you do not have to wait and may lay rugs immediately.